Satisfaction was measured on a contract-specific basis for this survey, to most accurately reflect the possibility that a district contracting for multiple services might be satisfied with certain vendors and not with others. There are 499 total food, custodial and transportation services privatized this year.

When asked if they were satisfied with their contracting experience(s), districts responded:

While the responses “Unsure” and “No Answer” occasionally reflect marginal or partial satisfaction, they more commonly show a district that has recently begun contracting out, where limited experience with the vendor does not allow for a full evaluation of service quality. This year continues a long-term trend of general satisfaction with contracted services.

Graphic 9: Satisfaction Over The Years

Note: The number of districts that responded each year varied, but the response rate was essentially 100 percent.